‘Unprecedented’ cold weather hammers Turkey’s citrus crops

• Citrus losses as high as 80%
• Potatoes and other fruits affected too
• Storage capacity needs improvement

Sharp frosts in important agricultural districts in Turkey’s south have wrought havoc on citrus production, with some regions reporting losses of up to 80 percent.

Long-term damage to plantations is adding to the problems of an industry already struggling with climate change.

Temperatures fell well below zero over a series of nights in the normally temperate Çukurova region in the province of Adana and Mersin along Turkey’s Eastern Mediterranean coastal plain in late February and into March. 

As a result, Turkey’s citrus producers have scaled back harvest expectations that were already affected by drought conditions in autumn and winter.

Cahit İncefikir, head of the Adana Agriculture Platform, told AGBI that climate change is increasingly becoming a factor in primary production.

“The Adana region can get cold and frosts, but for the Mersin region to be hit by snow and frost is unprecedented,” he said.

“And now, drought conditions have returned, and temperatures have gone up to as much as 31 degrees, after lows of minus nine.”

It is not just that much of the regions’ lemon, grapefruit and orange crops are gone. Many younger trees and saplings were killed, while mature trees were so damaged that low yields are expected for next year, said İncefikir.

Early season plantings of tomatoes, potatoes, melons, lettuce and stone fruits such as peaches have all been frost bitten. The losses could lead to higher inflation in the second quarter.

“This represents a loss for the country’s economy as exports will not happen, and already high food inflation will inevitably go up due to a lack of supply,” he said.

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Rising food prices have been one of the driving forces in inflation so far in 2025, up 3.8 and 3.1 percent in January and February respectively.

With climate instability becoming more common, İncefikir said growers will have to turn to more durable crops and varieties if they are to maintain production. 

He also highlighted the need to invest in Turkey’s food storage capacity, a weakness in its logistics chain.

“One area we fail in is storage,” he said. “Last year, the potato harvest was high, but we had to let some of it rot because of lack of storage. Better warehousing capacity is an important element in protecting against the impact of climate change.”